Here at Skelton Grange we run a range of training courses for teachers, nursery workers, childminders and environmental professionals for Learning Outside the Classroom.

We also run other courses that are for anyone to get involved in and are just for fun!

What we have to offer:

1. Woodland Crafts & Activities Training.

2. Summer 'Singing for Pleasure' workshop with Tongue Tide & Twisted.

3. Willow Hare weaving with Phil Bradley.

4. Engaging and inspiring courses for teachers, Early Years staff, childminders and anyone wanting to take learning and play outside.

5. Custom made courses for your school / group.

Please scroll down for more info on each of the courses mentioned above...

1. Woodland Crafts & Activities Training.

Date: Monday, 8th April 2013 Time:  10am - 3pm

£50 per person

For people who work outside with children of all ages. Needing some new activities for your forest school or outdoor learning sessions? This day will introduce a range of woodland art and craft ideas using natural materials and simple tools. We will also explore what helps children of all ages be creative out in the woods. You'll have the opportunity to have a go, be creative, make things and come away with loads of new ideas!

Payment by cheque in advance made payable to The Conservation Volunteers. Plentiful tea and coffee provided, and there will be a pan of vegetable soup to share (cooked over the fire). You may wish to bring food to supplement this. To make a booking please click here.

2. Summer 'Singing for Pleasure' workshop with Tongue Tide & Twisted!

Date: Saturday, 22nd June 2013 Time:  10am - 4pm

£25 per person - includes refreshments, but please bring packed lunch.

A day of harmony and laughter for those who like to sing - and for those who don’t know it yet! To learn more about the fabulous Tongue Tide duo who will be leading the workshop please click here. Here's a comment from our last event:

"Brilliant day, reached notes I didn’t think I could anymore!
A workout for the voice and nurture for the soul."

Any profit made from the event goes to support The Conservation Volunteers,  the environment and people charity that runs Skelton Grange. To make a booking please complete our online booking form.

3. Willow Hare weaving with Phil Bradley!

Date: Thursday, 12th September 2013 Time:  10am - 4pm

£60 per person

We are very excited to be hosting a workshop run by Phil Bradley, willow weaver and basket maker extraordinaire. Phil will guide you through the process of making a lovely Hare sculpture to take home. You don't need to have done any willow weaving before, and all materials needed will be provided for you.  Early booking is recommended as Phil's workshops are always very popular. Please click here to make a booking.

Plentiful tea, coffee and soft drinks provided, but please do bring your own lunch!

4. Engaging and inspiring courses for teachers, Early Years staff, childminders and anyone wanting to take learning and play outside!

We run a variety of courses here at Skelton Grange that will inspire you and open you up to the possibilities for taking learning and play outside. Participants in the past have included local authority rangers, playworkers, primary class teachers and headteachers, science co-ordinators, children's centre  and nursery staff and childminders.

Cost £100 (plus VAT) per person, including lunch. Cheques should be made payable to The Conservation Volunteers.

To make a booking please click here or e-mail skelton@tcv.org.uk or call 0113 2430815

Environmental Games and Activities

Date: Wednesday, 17th April 2013 Time:  9:30am - 4pm

The natural environment is a superb learning environment, and this practical course will give you lots of innovative ideas for games and activities which will engage and inspire children about the natural world, and will also support delivery of the national curriculum.  The activities link to loads of different curriculum areas, make use of simple and easily available resources and have been tried and tested by us and children over 20 years. At the end of the day you’ll have developed your own back pocket games book, full of interesting ideas to take your teaching outside.

Nature Play for Early Years

This course has passed - please either make a group booking (see below) or check back soon!

Outdoor play is a statutory requirement in Early Years and Nature Play, playing in and with nature, is a crucial element of this.  We start off by looking at the benefits of nature play, how to manage risk, the difference between good risk and bad risk, and how to enhance opportunities for Nature Play in your own school grounds, and then run through loads of ideas for activities and games that will enable you to confidently encourage children to explore, discover and learn in their natural environment.

Making the Most of the School Garden

This course has passed - please either make a group booking (see below) or check back soon!

This training day, run by staff from The Conservation Volunteers, is anyone from primary schools, nurseries and children’s centres who wants to get going with growing and learning outdoors! The aim of the day is to give guidance, inspiration and practical support to staff  - we will guide you through growing and looking after vegetables with children, including planning for maximum productivity within the school term, and introduce you to fun, hands on, creative and curriculum linked outdoor activities suitable for 3-11 year olds, based around the vegetable garden and wider school grounds. The emphasis will be on practical activity and the day will be full of lots of ideas and opportunities to try things out and to ask questions.

Raising Standards - Taking Literacy and Numeracy Outdoors

This course has passed - please either make a group booking (see below) or check back soon!

This course is all about using the natural environment to teach areas of the core literacy and numeracy curriculum. It is aimed at primary teachers, and is a practical day, introducing a range of outdoor activities that can be used across KS1 and 2 to engage your children in active learning outside. In the numeracy part of the course we introduce activities to teach time, measurement, ratio, data gathering, number bonds, shape and lots more; in the literacy session we show how to use the natural environment as an inspiration for story building and telling, poetry, descriptive writing, vocabulary development and even punctuation!

5. Custom made courses for your school / group.

We can design and deliver custom made courses just for your school. In the past we have run the above courses in house and have also designed courses around 'Getting the whole school gardening' and 'Getting started with outdoor learning - a mixture of practical and theory'. Courses can last a half or whole day (and can be run as twilight sessions). They can be run here at Skelton Grange or in your own school grounds. Contact us for prices and availablity.

Trainers at Skelton Grange

All our trainers are all qualified primary school teachers and have been running environmental activities with children from Leeds schools for many, many years. They have experience of working with all ages and abilities, in lots of different settings and have a real passion and enthusiasm for working with children outdoors.

The venue

Skelton Grange Environment Centre is in South Leeds, conveniently located close to the M1 and M621, with ample free car parking available and also served by frequent buses from Leeds city centre and a cycle path. A brand new eco-building, with many environmental features including rainwater recycling, solar panels, wind turbine and photo voltaic cells, the centre is located in a 2 hectare wildlife area. The building and wildlife area are fully accessible to wheelchair users. The building is also available for hire for your own events - click here for more details.